Incoming, Richard Mosse

Bear with me as this started quite a while ago, in 2013, when I was in Venice for the Art Biennale with Alice Sharp Founder, Director & Curator of Invisble Dust.

I’d joined Alice as, for a long time, I’ve wanted to collaborate with artists, maybe cross pollinating our work. Opening week was a mad blur with one artist standing out, Richard Mosse and his work ‘Enclave’ giving new insight into the horrendous war in Eastern Congo.

Fast forward to The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2014 Opening at The Photographers’ Gallery where fellow Irish artist, and friend Corban Walker introduced us. I’d recently returned from a trip where we’d been filming using the most incredible thermal military camera. It seemed to be the perfect fit, Richard’s work reveals the hidden and this camera was not only revelationary, beautiful but also difficult. Richard to a tee and he was intrigued.

A few weeks later I introduced him to the manufacturers, it’s the maddest place, missiles and uncrossable lines and he got to see the ‘camera’ in action turning pot bellied truck drivers into Norse gods – proper alchemy. A few months later we borrowed the camera to see how we would make it go along for a weekend with Trevor Tweeten, the outstanding Cinematographer Richard has worked with since 2009. There’s no denying it’s a beast of a camera but they managed to adapt it over the past three years using X-Box controllers, a steadicam (seriously this camera weighs no less than 30kg) and velcro and here we are 2017, with ‘Incoming’ on until the 23rd April at The Curve, Barbican Centre impeccably scored by Composer Ben Frost.

It has been a proper privilege watching the project throughout and the result is moving, beautiful, devastating and shaming, I urge you to see it if at all possible.

About Sophie:

Since 1991 Sophie has worked happily as a filmmaker and cinematographer specialising in natural history in remote locations throughout the world from 78 degrees South to 78 degrees North with a lot of Africa in between. Sophie won a BAFTA in 2016 and was accepted as a BAFTA member in 2018.